Oscillating circuit, converter with such oscillating circuit, and preconditioner with such converter

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an oscillator for use in a preconditioner comprising a rectifier ( 1 ), a converter ( 2 ) receiving an input voltage (U in ) and supplying an output voltage (U out ), and a control unit ( 3 ) effecting peak current mode control. The oscillator has a switching frequency with a period (T per ) dependent on the input voltage (U in ) and the output voltage (U out ), according to the relation:  
         T   per     =       1     k   0              (       1     U   m       +     1       U   out     -     U   in           )     .                     
 
     This inventive switching frequency control scheme makes it possible to provide a converter operating in the discontinuous mode that draws a block-shaped input current.

[0001] The present invention relates to an oscillator for use in a preconditioner comprising a rectifier (1), a converter (2) receiving an input voltage (U_(in)) and supplying an output voltage (U_(out)), and a control unit (3) for controlling the peak current mode to maintain a constant output voltage. The invention also relates to a voltage converter provided with such an oscillator, and a preconditioner with such an oscillator.

[0002] A simple way to rectify an AC source to a DC output is to use a diode bridge rectifier and a capacitor. However, when the input power is greater than 75 W, this is not allowed according to the requirements of IEC1000-3-2.

[0003] Alternatively, a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) can be used, comprising e.g. a diode bridge rectifier and a boost converter, to control the current drawn from the mains. Although it is possible to draw a sine-shaped current from the mains (e.g. using a Power Factor Control (PFC)), a block-shaped current or a trapezoid-shaped current may also be used, at least under certain power levels. An advantage of using a block-shaped input current is that the peak value is 1.27 lower than a sine-shaped current for the same output power. A lower peak level means that a smaller inductive component (coil) can be used, reducing cost and space requirements.

[0004] An example of a rectifier in combination with a boost converter drawing a trapezoid input current is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,098, where the main object is to obtain a simpler control electronics. However, this converter operates in the continuous mode. Boost converters operating in the discontinuous mode are also well known in the art. In such converters, during every switching period, the current in the boost coil reaches a certain maximum and at the end is zero again (triangle form). Such converters have smaller coils compared to continuous mode converters, lower turn-on losses and emission levels due to the zero current at switching, and control of output is simpler.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide improved frequency control for a power converter operating in the discontinuous mode with peak current mode control.

[0006] A second object of the invention is to reduce the required size of the boost coil in a boost converter.

[0007] A third object of the invention is to provide a converter drawing a block or trapezoid-shaped input current.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention, these and other objects are accomplished by an oscillator of the type mentioned by way of introduction, having the features described in the independent claim 1.

[0009] This inventive switching frequency control scheme makes it possible to provide a converter operating in the discontinuous mode that draws a block-shaped input current. An important detail of this aspect of the invention is that both input and output voltages are allowed to influence the switching frequency. The function of the switching period (T_(per)) in accordance with the invention enables a better control of the input current supplied to the converter and, in particular, an essentially constant average input current to be obtained.

[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, the above switching period is realized substantially by an oscillator of the type mentioned by way of introduction, having an output signal dependent upon the voltage across a timing capacitor, and comprising a switching element arranged to connect the capacitor to ground when said output signal is low, thereby causing discharging of said capacitor during a discharge time. The oscillator further comprises a zener diode and a transistor, connected to the input voltage in such a way that, when the input voltage exceeds the zener voltage of the zener diode, a current flows through the transistor, thereby decreasing the discharge current and increasing the discharge time.

[0011] In this oscillator, the discharge current is divided into two regions, depending on whether the input voltage is lower or higher than the zener voltage.

[0012] This circuit can be realized by connecting the transistor emitter to the input voltage via a resistance, connecting the transistor collector to the anode of a diode, the cathode of which is connected to the capacitor, and connecting the transistor base to the cathode of the zener diode, the anode of which is connected to ground.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, a second zener diode, connected to the input voltage in such a way that, when the input voltage exceeds a voltage limit, equal to the sum of the zener voltage of the first zener diode and a function of the zener voltage of the second zener diode, the current through the transistor increases, thereby further decreasing the discharge current and increasing the discharge time.

[0014] The discharge current is now divided into three regions, (1) below the first zener voltage, (2) between the zener voltage and the voltage limit, and (3) above the voltage limit.

[0015] This circuit can be realized by connecting the cathode of the second zener diode to the input voltage via a resistance, and connecting the anode of the second zener diode to the cathode of the first zener diode and to the base of the transistor.

[0016] The oscillator preferably comprises a second switching element arranged to connect the collector of the transistor to ground when said output signal is high.

[0017] Other aspects of the invention include a converter and a preconditioner comprising such an oscillator.

[0018] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiments more clearly described with reference to the appended drawings.

[0019]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a preconditioner according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0020]FIG. 2 shows the current through the coil in the circuit in FIG. 1.

[0021]FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the oscillator in FIG. 1.

[0022]FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the charge and discharge times of the capacitor in FIG. 3.

[0023]FIG. 5 shows an exemplary circuit layout of the oscillator in FIG. 1.

[0024]FIG. 6 shows a simplified circuit layout of the oscillator in FIG. 1.

[0025]FIG. 7 shows a diagram of the discharge time of the capacitor in FIG. 6.

[0026]FIG. 8 shows an example of an overvoltage protection suitable for the preconditioner in FIG. 1.

[0027]FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a preconditioner comprising a full-wave rectifier 1, a boost converter 2, and a control unit 3. The rectifier 1 supplies an input voltage U_(in) to the boost converter 2, and the output voltage from the boost converter, U_(out), is supplied to a load 4 arranged in parallel with a smoothing capacitor 5. The boost converter 2 includes a boost coil 6, a switching element 7 and a diode 8. The control unit 3 includes a pulse width modulator (PWM) 9 for controlling the peak current mode of the boost converter input current, and an oscillator circuit providing a switching frequency to the PWM 9. The oscillator circuit is provided with the boost converter input voltage U_(in) and output voltage U_(out), respectively.

[0028] According to the working principle of this preconditioner, the control unit 3 controls the switching element 7 of the boost converter, thereby causing a positive or negative voltage across the boost coil 6, in order to control the peak current in the coil, I_(peak). The pulse width modulator 9 is provided with a switching frequency from the oscillator circuit 10, and the present invention relates to determining this oscillating frequency in an optimal way.

[0029]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the variation of the current through the boost coil 6. If I_(peak) is the peak current, then the time of positive voltage and increasing current across the coil can be given by the equation: $\begin{matrix} {{T_{poistivee} = \frac{I_{peak}L_{1}}{U_{in}}},} & (1) \end{matrix}$

[0030] where U_(in) is the input voltage from the rectifier 1 and L₁ is the inductance of the boost-coil.

[0031] The time of negative voltage and decreasing current across the same coil can be expressed by the equation: $\begin{matrix} {{T_{negative} = \frac{I_{peak}L_{1}}{U_{out} - U_{in}}},} & (2) \end{matrix}$

[0032] where U_(out) is the output voltage from the boost converter.

[0033] After T_(positive) and T_(negative) the current through the boost coil 6 is zero, and may remain zero for a certain period of time, T_(zero), before a positive voltage is applied again across the coil and the current start to increase again. The total period of one cycle is thus

T _(per) =T _(positive) +T _(negative) +T _(zero).

[0034] The average current during a period can be expressed as follows: $\begin{matrix} \begin{matrix} {I_{{ave},{in}} = \quad {\frac{1}{T_{per}}\left( {{\int_{0}^{T_{positive}}{\frac{I_{peak}}{T_{positive}}t{t}}} +} \right.}} \\ \left. \quad {\int_{0}^{T_{negative}}{\left( {I_{peak} - {\frac{I_{peak}}{T_{negative}}t}} \right){t}}} \right) \\ {I_{{ave},{in}} = \quad {{\frac{1}{2}\frac{T_{ON}}{T_{per}}I_{peak}} + {\frac{1}{2}\frac{T_{freewheel}}{T_{per}}I_{peak}}}} \\ {= \quad {\frac{1}{2}\frac{1}{T_{per}}\left( {\frac{I_{peak}L_{1}}{U_{in}} + \frac{I_{peak}L_{1}}{U_{out} - U_{in}}} \right)I_{peak}}} \\ {I_{{ave},{in}} = \quad {\frac{1}{2}\frac{1}{T_{per}}\left( {\frac{1}{U_{in}} + \frac{1}{U_{out} - U_{in}}} \right)L_{i}I_{peak}^{2}}} \end{matrix} & \quad \end{matrix}$

[0035] By letting the total period T_(per) be dependent on U_(in) and U_(out) according to $\begin{matrix} {{T_{per} = {\frac{1}{k_{0}}\left( {\frac{1}{U_{in}} + \frac{1}{U_{out} - U_{in}}} \right)}},} & (3) \end{matrix}$

[0036] the above expression for I_(ave,in) is simplified to: $I_{{ave},{in}} = {\frac{1}{2}k_{0}L_{i}{I_{peak}^{2}.}}$

[0037] In other words, by controlling the switching frequency in the oscillator 10 and obtaining a switching period equal to the above expression (3), the average current will be constant as long as the peak current I_(peak) is held constant. This is the basic idea of the present invention. In the following part of this document, it will be described how such a period T_(per) may be realized in an oscillating circuit.

[0038] The period T_(per) is normally fixed by the charge and discharge time of a timing capacitor in the oscillator 10. By choosing T_(charge) of this capacitor to be equal to 1/(k₀*U_(in)) and T_(discharge) of the same capacitor to be equal to 1/(k₀*(U_(out)−U_(in))), a total period of time T_(per) can be achieved that is equal to the above expression.

[0039] One way of controlling the charge and discharge times consists in controlling the current led through the capacitor. A schematic circuit embodying this principle is given in FIG. 3.

[0040] By choosing a current source I_(charge) that is dependent on the input voltage, the following expression of the charge time is obtained: $\begin{matrix} \left\lbrack {{\left. \begin{matrix} {I_{charge} = \frac{U_{in}}{R_{T1}}} \\ {T_{charge} = \frac{\Delta \quad U_{C}C_{T}}{I_{charge}}} \end{matrix}\Rightarrow T_{charge} \right. = \frac{\Delta \quad U_{C\quad}C_{T}R_{T1}}{U_{in}}},} \right. & (4) \end{matrix}$

[0041] where

[0042] R_(T1) is the charge resistance,

[0043] C_(T) is the capacitance of the timing capacitor,

[0044] and ΔU_(c) is the voltage sweep across the capacitor (equal to U_(threshold)−U_(trigger)).

[0045] By choosing a current source I_(discharge) that is dependent on the difference between U_(out) and U_(in), the discharge time obtained can be expressed as follows: $\begin{matrix} \left\lbrack {{\left. \begin{matrix} {I_{discharge} = \frac{U_{out} - U_{in}}{R_{T2}}} \\ {T_{discharge} = \frac{\Delta \quad U_{C}C_{T}}{I_{discharge}}} \end{matrix}\Rightarrow T_{discharge} \right. = \frac{\Delta \quad U_{C\quad}C_{T}R_{T2}}{U_{out} - U_{in}}},} \right. & (5) \end{matrix}$

[0046] where R_(T2) is the discharge resistance.

[0047] If we combine T_(charge) and T_(discharge) we get: $\begin{matrix} \left\lbrack {\begin{matrix} {T_{per} = {{T_{charge} + T_{discharge}} = {\frac{\Delta \quad U_{C}C_{T}R_{T1}}{U_{out} - U_{in}} + \frac{\Delta \quad U_{C}C_{T}R_{T2}}{U_{in}}}}} \\ {R_{T1} = {R_{T2} = R_{T}}} \end{matrix},{\left. \Rightarrow T_{per} \right. = {\Delta \quad U_{C}C_{T}{R_{T}\left( {\frac{1}{U_{out} - U_{in}} + \frac{1}{U_{in}}} \right)}}}} \right. & (6) \end{matrix}$

[0048] which corresponds to the desired function according to equation 3 above, with 1/k₀=ΔU_(c)C_(T)R_(T).

[0049]FIG. 4 shows a graph of T_(per), T_(charge) and T_(discharge), plotted versus the input voltage, U_(in). The graphs were calculated using the following values for the parameters:

C_(T)=150pF;R_(T)=1M8; ΔU_(c)=2.5V; U_(out)=400V

[0050] The schematic solution in FIG. 3 can be implemented in a circuit as illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0051] According to a second, more practical embodiment, the circuit in FIG. 5 is simplified to reduce cost and facilitate production. Such a circuit is shown in FIG. 6.

[0052] In the circuit in FIG. 6, the output voltage U_(out) is taken to be constant, which significantly simplifies the circuit.

[0053] The system block A₃ comprises two comparators and a latch which fulfills the following function Present output New output Condition A₃ A₃ U_(ct) > U_(threshold) High Low U_(ct) < U_(trigger) Low High U_(trigger) < U_(ct) < U_(threshold) Low Low U_(trigger) < U_(ct) < U_(threshold) High High

[0054] When the output of A₃ is high (i.e. during the charge time), switch X₃ is open due to the inverter A₁ and the capacitor C_(t) is connected to the input voltage via resistors R₄ and R₅. At the same time, switch X₂ is closed, and hence the current supplied by the collector of Q₁ is short-circuited to ground and has no influence on the charge time.

[0055] The charge current is determined by the difference between the input voltage U_(in) and the voltage U_(Ct) across the timing capacitor C_(t). and by the resistors R₄ and R₅: $\begin{matrix} {I_{charge} = {\frac{U_{in} - U_{Ci}}{R_{4} + R_{5}}.}} & (7) \end{matrix}$

[0056] This charge current results in a charge time $\begin{matrix} {T_{charge} = {\frac{\left( {R_{4} + R_{5}} \right)C_{t}}{U_{i\quad n} - U_{Ct}} = {{- \left( {R_{4} + R_{5}} \right)}C\quad {{\ln \left( \frac{U_{Threshold} - U_{i\quad n}}{U_{Trigger} - U_{i\quad n}} \right)}.}}}} & (8) \end{matrix}$

[0057] As normally U_(Ct) is much smaller then U_(in), this expression is almost equal to the ideal case in equation (4).

[0058] When the output of A₃ is low (i.e. during the discharge time), switch X₃ is closed due to the inverter A₁, and consequently the capacitor C_(t) is connected to ground via resistor R₅, causing discharging of the capacitor. At the same time, switch X2 is open.

[0059] If Q₁ were not present in the circuit, the discharge time T_(discharge) would be constant over the full input voltage range: $\begin{matrix} {I_{discharge} = \frac{U_{Ct}}{R_{5}}} & (9) \\ {T_{discharge} = {{- R_{5}}C_{t}{\ln \left( \frac{U_{trigger}}{U_{Threshold}} \right)}}} & (10) \end{matrix}$

[0060] By introducing transistor Q₁ into the circuit, this is no longer true, and the discharge current I_(discharge) is divided in three regions approaching the discharge current function given in (5).

[0061] 1. When the input voltage U_(in) is not higher than the zener voltage U_(z1) of diode D₃, the transistor Q₁ is not conducting and the charge time is constant according to equation (10) above.

[0062] 2. When the input voltage U_(in) is higher than the zener voltage U_(z1) but not higher than

u _(limit)=(R ₁ +R ₂)U _(z2) /R ₂ +U _(z1),

[0063] (where U_(z2) is the zener voltage of diode D₄), the discharge current is reduced to $\begin{matrix} {{I_{discharge} = {\frac{U_{Ct}}{R_{5}} - \frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}}},} & (11) \end{matrix}$

[0064] resulting in a discharge time of: $\begin{matrix} {T_{discharge} = {{- R_{5}}C_{t}{\ln \left( \frac{U_{trigger} - {\frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}R_{5}}}{U_{threshold} - {\frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}R_{5}}} \right)}}} & (12) \end{matrix}$

[0065] 3. When the input voltage is higher that u_(limit)=(R₁+R₂)U_(z2)/R₂+U_(z1), the discharge current is further reduced and becomes equal to $\begin{matrix} {I_{discharge} = {\frac{U_{Ct}}{R_{5}} - \frac{\frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1}} + \frac{U_{z2}}{R_{3}}}{1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}} + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{3}}}}} & (13) \end{matrix}$

[0066] and the discharge time is equal to $\begin{matrix} {T_{discharge} = {{- R_{5}}C_{t}{\ln \left( \frac{U_{trigger} - {\frac{\frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1}} + \frac{U_{z2}}{R_{3}}}{1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}} + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{3}}}R_{5}}}{U_{threshold} - {\frac{\frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1}} + \frac{U_{z2}}{R_{3}}}{1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}} + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{3}}}R_{5}}} \right)}}} & (14) \end{matrix}$

[0067]FIG. 7 shows the discharge time (curve A) as a function of the input voltage U_(in) according to the circuit in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 also shows the theoretical function (curve B) according to equation 5 above, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0068] In this way, also overvoltage protection (OVP) can be easily implemented by injecting a third discharge current which increases the discharge time. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 8, where U_(out) is the protected voltage.

[0069] It is noted that the above-described embodiments only are examples of embodiments of the current invention, which generally aims at improving the switching behavior in an oscillator for use in a peak current mode control of a voltage converter. A skilled person may naturally modify the circuit examples given above without departing from the scope of the claims. 

1. An oscillator for use in a preconditioner comprising a rectifier (1), a converter (2) receiving an input voltage (U_(in)) and supplying an output voltage (U_(out)), and a control unit (3) for controlling the peak current mode, said oscillator being characterized in that it has a switching frequency with a period (T_(per)) dependent on the input voltage (U_(in)) and the output voltage (U_(out)), according to the relation: $T_{per} = {\frac{1}{k_{0}}{\left( {\frac{1}{U_{i\quad n}} + \frac{1}{U_{out} - U_{i\quad n}}} \right).}}$


2. An oscillator for use in a preconditioner comprising a rectifier (1), a converter (2) receiving an input voltage (U_(in)) and supplying an output voltage (U_(out)), and a control unit (3) effecting peak current mode control, said oscillator having an output signal dependent upon the voltage across a timing capacitor (C_(t)), and comprising a switching element (X₃) arranged to connect the capacitor (C_(t)) to ground when said output signal is low, thereby causing discharging of said capacitor during a discharge time (T_(discharge)), characterized in that it further comprises a zener diode (D₃) and a transistor (Q₁), connected to the input voltage (U_(in)) in such a way that, when the input voltage (U_(in)) exceeds the zener voltage (u_(z1)) of the zener diode (D₃), a current flows through the transistor (Q₁), thereby decreasing the discharge current and increasing the discharge time (T_(discharge)).
 3. An oscillator according to claim 2, wherein said transistor (Q₁) has an emitter connected to the input voltage (U_(in)) via a resistance (R₁, R₂), a collector connected to the anode of a diode (D₂), the cathode of which is connected to the capacitor (C_(t)), and a base connected to the cathode of the zener diode (D₃), the anode of which is connected to ground.
 4. An oscillator according to claim 3, wherein, when the input voltage (U_(in)) is lower than the zener voltage (u_(z1)), the discharge current is ${I_{discharge} = \frac{U_{Ct}}{R_{5}}},$

where R₅ is a resistance connecting the capacitor (C_(t)) to ground, and U_(Ct) is the voltage of the capacitor (C_(t)), and when the input voltage (U_(in)) is higher than the zener voltage (u_(z1)), the discharge current is ${I_{discharge} = {\frac{U_{Ct}}{R_{5}} - \frac{U_{i\quad n} - U_{z1}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}}},$

where R₁+R₂ is a resistance connecting the emitter of the transistor (Q₁) to the input voltage (U_(in)).
 5. An oscillator according to one of claims 2 or 3, which further comprises a second zener diode (D₄), connected to the input voltage in such a way that, when the input voltage exceeds a voltage limit (u_(limit)), equal to the sum of the zener voltage (u_(z1)) of the zener diode (D₃) and a function of the zener voltage (u_(z2)) of the second zener diode (D₄), the current through the transistor (Q₁) increases, thereby further decreasing the discharge current and increasing the discharge time (T_(discharge)).
 6. An oscillator according to claim 5, wherein the cathode of the second zener diode (D₄) is connected to the input voltage (U_(in)) via a resistance (R₁, R₃), and the anode of the second zener diode (D₄) is connected to the cathode of the zener diode (D₃) and to the base of the transistor (Q₁).
 7. An oscillator according to any one of claims 2-6, which further comprises a second switching element (X₂) arranged to connect the collector of the transistor (Q₁) to ground when said output signal is high.
 8. A voltage converter (2) comprising a coil (6) and a switching element (7), said converter being provided with an input voltage (U_(in)) from a rectifier (1) and supplying an output voltage (U_(out)) to a load (4), said switching element (7) being controlled by a control unit (3) operating in the peak current mode (6), characterized in that said control unit (3) comprises an oscillating circuit (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.
 9. A preconditioner comprising an oscillator according to any one of the preceding claims. 